Various Ways Stress Wreaks Havoc to Your Life

It is perfectly normal and fine for you to feel stressed once in a while. If it’s something that is chronic or relentless, you are at risk of so many health problems. Managing stress is very important to lessen its various negative effects on your mind and body. Otherwise, you are likely to encounter the following some time in the near future:

Type 2 Diabetes

Your liver produces lots of sugar when you’re under stress because it needs to supply the body with all the energy it needs. Sugar unused by the muscles causes a spike of glucose in the blood. Constantly having excessive amounts of sugar in the blood due to chronic stress may put you at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Anxiety or Depression

Stress causes the central nervous system or CNS to activate the body’s fight or flight response. This results in the production of extra adrenaline and cortisol to help your body cope. Chronic stress may cause the levels of these hormones to be constantly high, leaving you with disorders such as anxiety and even depression.

Hypertension

Under stress, your heart beats faster and the blood vessels constrict. Both bodily reactions cause an increase in your blood pressure. Being stressed out all the time puts you at risk of ending up with hypertension. It may also leave your blood vessels damaged, increasing your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.

Body Aches

Your muscles tense up each time you are feeling stressed. Usually, they all relax after the stressor is gone. Chronic stress leaves the muscles always tightened up, and this may leave you suffering from all sorts of body aches and pains. It’s not unlikely for you to have a headache, back and shoulder pain, and others.

Impotence

Being stressed all the time can leave a dent on your sex life if you’re a man. That’s because the production of the hormone testosterone may wane, and this may cause impotence or erectile dysfunction. What’s more, chronic stress may also interfere with the production of healthy sperm cells.

Irregular or No Menstruation

Women may suffer from irregular menstruation if they are always stressed out. At times they may experience heavier and more painful menstruation. It’s also possible for women under stress to fail to have their period. Experts say that the various physical manifestations of menopause may be magnified by stress.

Weakened Immunity

Stress has a stimulating effect on your immune system, making it suddenly stronger for a really short period of time. However, being constantly stressed has the exact opposite effect on your immunity. Chronic stress may leave you more susceptible to colds, cough, flu, and various infections and allergies.

Weight Gain

Constant worrying or feeling pressured tends to leave you wanting to eat anything edible that comes across your way. This is a normal body reaction as it attempts to supply itself with energy for survival. If you don’t want to gain excess pounds, make sure that you deal with stress appropriately.

Aged Appearance

Being stressed all the time may slow down the production of new skin cells. It’s for this reason why you are likelier to look tired and older when under stress constantly. Other side effects of stress such as insomnia and anxiety may also leave your face with fine lines and wrinkles that make you look old.